I began writing a post a while back that proved challenging to keep succinct. There’s been an ongoing theme in my life that I feel is important to share, as ultimately, it is universal in its scope. But it’s a huge topic that encompasses pretty much everything in one way or another. Not easy to pare down to one blog post.
Then, one morning, while still lying in bed, I began to ‘re-write’ the beginning of that post in my mind, or rather it felt more like it was writing through me. So, I edited the original post, and came darn near close to finally completing and publishing it.
That was in the beginning of August. It’s now nearly 6 weeks later. I have stalled all together on getting a post out, so lets see if the third time is a charm. Time to birth this baby!
As you may have read in a recent post “Learning to Crawl” my husband Don has been somewhat out of commission while he deals with an old recurring issue with his knee that flared up on Saturday.
I did our typical Saturday grocery store run alone, and pondered what to buy that would make for an easy lunch.
I was craving a good hit of some protein rich savory goodness, but I didn’t feel inspired enough to create on my own without some help.
Enter Sweet Earth Natural Foods Chipotle Style Seitan. It delivered on all counts, and made for some yummy fajitas.
When I was a meat eater, my favorite way to enjoy beef was the way it was prepared in Chinese food ~ super tender strips sautéed with plenty of vegetables, like a ‘Beef Broccoli’ or like the well seasoned grilled meat used in fajitas.
Considering the chipotle flavoring, the fajitas seemed the perfect fit. Plus I happened to have some of these super yummy tortillas our local store (Sprouts) has unfortunately discontinued. (Although because of that, we picked up several for only .99 cents.) They rock! The sprouted tortillas are soft, (I prefer them to the Food For Life brand) and the whole wheat ones taste like sourdough.
Sweet Earth Chipotle Seitan has the look of a skirt steak that was marinated and cut into strips. It was very tender. I’m not someone that eats plant meats because I miss meat, (for a long time I didn’t like beef at all) but I do sometimes crave something really savory, and protein-rich.
I happen to enjoy ‘meats’ made from plant foods, and don’t like that the animal industries (and many others) have hijacked the word ‘meat’ to equate to animals, (as in ‘meat, it’s what’s for dinner) as that never should have been the case. It wasn’t until around the 13th century that meat became more associated with animal flesh. Here is an earlier definition of meat:
archaic:
food of any kind. Synonyms: food, nourishment, sustenance, provisions, rations, fare, foodstuff(s), provender, daily bread
I particularly like the last one, ‘daily bread’ as seitan is the high protein part of whole wheat, and is very nutritious, contrary to what many believe. Not only is it nutritious, but it is the quintessential food of America, along with corn, if ever there was one. So, you could say that eating this Sweet Earth Chipotle Style Seitan is among the most pro-American patriotic, locavore and macrobiotic food of choice!
Miriam Webster also includes as one of the definitions of ‘meat’ as: The part of something (such as a nut) which can be eaten. For those interested, here is an interesting post chronicling the etymology of ‘meat.‘
I don’t consider plant meats made from gluten, soy or other sources to be akin to a second class (plant-based) citizen like seems vogue to do these days. I’m an equal opportunity plant eater! I think if you try this Sweat Earth Chipotle Seitan, you may agree ~ plant meats rule!
As is written on the label, this seitan is ‘clean protein.’ Four ounces of the Chipotle Style Seitan has 30 grams of protein, 9g of carbs, 170% of the RDI for vitamin E (based on a 2,000 calorie diet), 240% of B3, 140% of B2, 45% of B6, and 8% of vitamin A and only 2.5g of fat, no cholesterol and 170 total calories.
The Sweet Earth Chipotle Style Seitan has the perfect blend of spices too, savory with a hint of smoky sweetness. I didn’t add any extra spices while cooking these fajitas. They only need a quick reheat, preferably in a little bit of oil, but adding the onions, peppers, mushrooms and a little garlic provide flavor and moistness, and make for a quick and tasty fajita style burrito.
For the fajitas:
1 small onion, cut into thin half moons or slices
1/2 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
A dozen or so mushrooms, sliced
Optional garlic clove
2 tsp. oil for cooking
2 Tortillas per person
Brown rice (already cooked) (About 1/2 cup per person, or more if desired.)
Any other toppings you like, such as avocado, chopped cilantro, scallions, etc.
Pre-heat a wok or pan to medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt granules to the pan, followed by the sliced onions. Let cook for a few minutes without stirring. As the onions begin to stick, and the edges start to turn brown, add mushrooms and garlic. Stir with a wooden spatula.
LO brown rice and tortillas getting steamed
Meanwhile, if using LO (left over) brown rice, place in a heat proof bowl and add to the steamer pot, or in a pot with a couple inches of water added. Cover, and let steam while cooking the fajitas.
The mushrooms will release some juices. At this point, you can either add the oil if using, or a tablespoon or so of water or veggie broth. (I think using just a couple teaspoons of oil will help prevent the seitan from sticking, and adds a little richness to the final flavor.)
Add the peppers, then the seitan. Continue cooking on medium-high for several minutes, stirring continually. Add a splash of water, veggie broth, or low-sodium soy sauce to scrape off anything sticking, and add just a touch of moistness without creating a broth.
Turn to low, and let simmer a couple minutes more while you prepare the tortillas.
To prepare tortillas, wrap them in foil (or a clean dish towel) and place in the steamer pot with the rice (as above.) Alternatively, wrap in foil and place on top of the fajita mixture. Cover pan and let steam for a few minutes. If needed, remove fajita mixture so it doesn’t dry out, however, it should be fine simmering on low.
Assemble fajitas as desired, with a about 1/4 cup of rice, fajita mix, and anything else you may be using.
Don and I had a cat-like weekend, enjoying window side dining, and camping out in our bedroom. We set up our 0-gravity chairs in the bedroom which is much cooler, enjoying the extra time to spend working on projects online, reading, and watching some very eye-opening videos on YouTube.
Eight Treasures Congee, at a ‘table w/ a view’ eating on our chest in the bedroom under the window.
The upside of having to ‘learn how to crawl’ is that it can cause us to re-calibrate ourselves, pursue activities that often get pushed to the back burner, or just tap into some new ways of viewing life, and our roll in it.
And while ‘saucha’ ~ one of the eight limbs of yoga reminds us of the importance of cleanliness, Earth Girl has a different perspective.
Earth Girl is all about finding the right balance. Sometimes balance means doing a good decluttering and full on cleaning. Sometimes balance is found by letting ourselves be messy. Life does get messy, whether those part of our minds like it or not.
Pile up all you could want at your disposal around you, dive in the center of the pile, and see what you do with it all. Have at it. Drop all thoughts about what to do, what you think you should accomplish, what needs to go where, all that you think is so important. Let it all fall away, and see what you are left with.
Change positions when the body is screaming at you to move, or get up to pee or get some food, then go back to being amidst your glorious messy pile, and revel in it.
Earth Girl Rx: (My prescriptions for saner living)
If you are someone that often obsesses over your ‘to do’ lists, can’t stand having a dish remain dirty, or floor left un swept, and who works hard, and runs a million errands taking care of everyone all the time, or just can never sit still or shut the brain off, then give this a try. It may be hard, but try it! It is especially those of you ‘controller’ or ‘obsessor’ types (or dare I say clean freaks?) that may benefit from this particular ‘therapy.’ However, all of us need a day like this sometimes!
Make the needs of your body and what moves you spontaneously (i.e. your inner child/inner spirit) be ALL that is on your agenda for an entire day, or weekend, and see how you feel come Monday! Then share your experience!
You may realize that a good cat-like weekend, spent camping out in your bedroom, and eating under the window was just what the doctor ordered!
Tofu Stir Fried w/ celery, scallions, ginger & garlic in a little oil, w/ kale and soy sauce added at the end. Served w/ red cabbage salad, and quinoa.
“I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings. And coming down is the hardest thing. I’m learning to fly, around the clouds. But what goes up must come down.”
Lyrics from ‘Learning To Fly’~Tom Petty
Great Blue Heron ~ Photo by Tracy Minton
We all want to fly. Whether literally, or figuratively. Our spirit’s yearn for freedom to express ourselves authentically. Without inhibition, fears, or oppressive external forces holding us back. We often believe ourselves to be living authentically, only to discover maybe we really weren’t. Maybe we were living a facsimile version of who we really are. A version painted for us by other people’s ideas and notions about who we are or ought to be.
This is the third in a series of posts sharing the amazing benefits Don and I have been experiencing eating a diet similar to those of the Shaolin monks, or the Shaolin Temple diet. Read about the Shaolin monks and what the diet entails here, and about the many benefits to following this formula, for our health, time and budget here.
In this post, I share what a day of meals could look like while eating the Shaolin Temple diet, along with the nutritional profile. I also outline the shopping strategy, post pictures of some of our recent meals, and provide links for some simple and delicious recipes.
At the time of writing this, Don and I are midway into our fourth week of eating the Shaolin Temple diet. We have really been enjoying this experience over all, despite a few glitches. I have taken pictures of our meals, or most of them, every day.
Here are more food photos, a list of benefits, and a few of our glitches.
Pan Fried Tofu w/ Shiitake Mushroom Gravy
First, the benefits:
We are loving the food!
We are feeling really good eating this way
Easy to digest, no bloating or gas
Meal prep has become very stream lined
Shopping has become very stream lined – once you pick up some things that you are probably not accustomed to buying, it becomes a breeze.
The Eight Treasures Summer Congee recipe has actually helped reduce my power surges (a.k.a. hot flashes) quite a bit. Go figure, hot congee every morning during peak heat here in the desert southwest.
Don has been reading about the diet of the Shaolin Monks on the Huffington Post. The Shaolin Monks are known for their amazing athletic abilities as martial artists. They are truly unsurpassed. Many monks begin their training at age 3. I would guess that even the 8 year olds are doing things many of us never accomplish in our life time.
Actor Jason Scott Lee stayed with the Shaolin Monks for two weeks to fulfill a lifelong dream and see if he can learn some of their secrets. He was put to the test, to say the least. You can see for yourself in this really great documentary.
I’ve been back (home) from my visit to my mom’s (home) for a week now. The weather in Chicago was pretty warm the first couple days, but got progressively cooler, grayer, windier, and wetter until the day I returned. Then the sun reappeared.
I grew up in Roger’s Park, so I found myself saying (to myself) that I was going ‘home’ to visit. Then, of course, I returned ‘home’ to where I currently live with Don and Jasper, our cat.
Before I arrived in Chicago, I ordered a few fun treats from Vegan Essentials on line to enjoy. My mom just turned, well, she doesn’t share her age publicly. Plus, it was Mother’s Day a couple weeks after her birthday. So, what better time to celebrate, and possibly turn non-vegans on to some fun vegan foods.
The Vtopian Cashew Macadamia Camembert style soft cheese was melt in your mouth, creamy, buttery smooth and delicious. Everyone who happened to stop by loved this cheese, vegan or not.
My sister and I both collaborated on a trip to Chicago to visit our mom for a belated (big) birthday celebration, Mother’s Day, and to help her do some needed de-cluttering. She does not drive, and had a good 20 bags worth of books, shoes, clothes, etc. that we helped her organize and donate to a couple local thrift and resale shops.
If there is one thing this Earth Girl (EG) loves to do, it’s to organize, clean and de-clutter. Especially book shelves, drawers, and closets. (Paper work is another story!) You can read my EG Rx (Earth Girl Prescription) below!
Earth Girl Rx 
